Recently wed, spoiled Bertram abandons his wife Helena, and goes off to war saying that unless she can remove the ring from his finger and produce a child by him, he will never consider himself married. The resourceful Helena manages this and regains her charmless husband.

The Egyptian queen's tempestuous romance with Antony is played out against the battles and intrigues of the Roman civil war. After losing the battle of Actium he dies in her arms and she commits suicide.

The elaborate gender reversals in this pastoral comedy set in the Forest of Arden are of considerable interest to modern critics. At one point in the play, the heroine Rosalind becomes a boy pretending to be a girl pretending to be a boy.

Shakespeare's shortest and most farcical comedy, involving two sets of identical brothers, both separated at birth: Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse, and their respective servants Dromio of Ephesus and Dromio of Syracuse. All four turn up in the same city on the same day with predictably hilarious consequences.

The brilliant Roman general Coriolanus may be a military genius but he doesn't really have the common touch. Banished because of his patrician opinions, he leads an assault on his native city. Only the pleadings of his mother Volumnia stop him from sacking Rome, but this change of heart leads to his destruction.

The plot of this late comedy set in Ancient Britain is so convoluted—with disguises, false identities, faked deaths and more—it has been suggested it was a private joke by Shakespeare. At the finale almost the entire cast appears, some from the cave where they've been hiding for most of the play, to add a piece to the puzzle's resolution.

King Edward III saves the Countess of Salisbury and woos her even under the pretense they kill each other's spouses to be together. She chastises him for falling for her and he, in shame, leaves to lead the English in a victorious battle against the French.

Henry IV is threatened by Harry Hotspur, but his son Prince Hal seems more interested in boozing and hanging out with his lowlife chums, most notably that fat reprobate Sir John Falstaff. But Hal shapes up in battle, kills Hotspur and, on his father's death, ascends the throne and abandons his former friends.

Henry IV is threatened by Harry Hotspur, but his son Prince Hal seems more interested in boozing and hanging out with his lowlife chums, most notably that fat reprobate Sir John Falstaff. But Hal shapes up in battle, kills Hotspur and, on his father's death, ascends the throne and abandons his former friends.

The former wastrel Prince Hal has now become a shrewd and courageous monarch. His invasion of France leads to overwhelming triumph at the battle of Agincourt, not least because of the stirring quality of his speeches to his troops.

Conspirators, some high-minded like Brutus, others not, plot the assassination of the dictator Julius Caesar to save the Roman republic from tyranny. But after Caesar's death, they find themselves reviled by the Roman people and at war with Mark Antony and Octavian.

John's claim to the English throne is weak and the French king demands his abdication. There follows a dizzying change of alliances, a Papal excommunication and the final poisoning of John by a monk. Throughout, "The Bastard," Richard Lionheart's son, delivers a sardonic commentary on nobility, self-interest and English sovereignty.

Lear decides to abdicate and split his kingdom between his three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. Cordelia refuses to flatter her father like her sisters and is banished. Goneril and Regan betray Lear who goes mad.

At the play's opening, Richard is seated in full state on the throne. But the flaws of his weak and self-deluding character, not to mention the high taxes he imposes, bring disaster for him and the country. By the end he is a prisoner of Henry Bolingbroke (the future Henry IV) in a dungeon, where he is done away with by an assassin.

Four young men—the King of Navarre and three friends—promise to foreswear the company of women for three years in order to pursue learning. Unsurprisingly they manage to keep it up for less than a day after the arrival of the young Princess of France and her three ladies.

After receiving a prophecy of his future kingship from three witches, Macbeth, encouraged by his wife, murders King Duncan. His reign continues bloodily and his conscience increasingly disturbs him. Finally, Macduff and the other forces of revenge surround Macbeth to kill him.

The Duke of Vienna absents himself while some harsh but unused laws against fornication are enforced. His deputy Angelo abuses his powers to satisfy his lust for a young nun Isabella who pleads for the life of her brother. The Duke returns and all is apparently well.

The merchant Antonio promises Shylock that if he defaults on his borrowing, he will pay the Jewish money-lender a pound of his flesh. When he can't pay, Shylock insists on his bond. The case goes to court and Bassanio and his new bride Portia finesse some legal loopholes to save their friend.

Hermia loves Lysander. Lysander loves Hermia, but so does Demetrius. Hermia's friend Helena loves Demetrius. These four find themselves lost deep in the woods and in the middle of a royal fairy row between Titania and Oberon.

Othello, a successful Moorish general in the service of Venice, elopes with Desdemona, the daughter of a Venetian noble. His evil lieutenant Iago works on his jealousy and persuades him that his wife is unfaithful. Overwrought, Othello strangles her then kills himself in grief after the truth is revealed.

Baptista Minola has two daughters, the beautiful Bianca and the shrewish Katherina. A visiting stranger, Petruchio, learns of Katherina's large dowry, marries her and through his own even more extreme actions modifies her behavior.

Prospero, a mage and former Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda have been stranded for 12 years on an island. Prospero's brother Antonio, who deposed him, is shipwrecked with his son Ferdinand. By the end Ferdinand and Miranda are married and Prospero, after abjuring magic, regains his title and forgives his betrayers.

With its puzzling plot and unexplained characters, Timon is probably unfinished and rarely performed. Timon is a wealthy citizen of ancient Athens, who spends munificently on parasitic writers and artists. When he loses his wealth his former friends abandon him and he rails against the world and men from his new home in a cave.

Taking his cue from the Roman plays of Seneca, Shakespeare piles on the horrors in this tale of murderous revenge. The most appalling moment is either the discovery of Titus's raped daughter Lavinia, with her tongue cut out and her hands chopped off, or the Queen Tamora being forced to eat a pie made from her two sons.

Troilus, a Trojan prince, woos Cressida, has sex with her, and professes his undying love. When she is traded with the Greeks for a prisoner of war, he tries to visit her but sees her with Diomedes and decides she is a whore.

Viola is shipwrecked and believes her twin, Sebastian, has been killed. Masquerading as a boy, she enters the service of Duke Orsino, who is in love with Olivia. Olivia, believing Viola male, falls in love with her. Viola, in turn, falls in love with the Duke. When Sebastian arrives on the scene, confusion ensues.

The two gents in question, Valentine and Proteus, fall for the same girl, Silvia, which leads to a spectacular quarrel. In the climactic confrontation scene, Valentine, for the sake of friendship, "gives" Silvia to Proteus, who refuses and returns to his abandoned fiancée.

Two friends and cousins, Palamon and Arcite, are imprisoned after a battle. They see Princess Emilia from their window and both fall in love. They become rivals, and Arcite wins her, but after a fall from a horse, gives her to Palamon with his dying breath.